


Planting the truth in our hearts

by Ashby



Category: Teen Wolf (TV), The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Asthma, Canonical Character Death, Crossover, F/F, F/M, Female Protagonist, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Love, M/M, Pack Family, Panic Attacks, Stiles has an older sister, The Avengers and the seasons of Teen Wolf overlap, Things must get worse before they get better... then they get awesome, sterek
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-30
Updated: 2013-10-15
Packaged: 2017-12-21 20:58:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/904854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashby/pseuds/Ashby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles has an older sister.<br/>The Avengers and the seasons of Teen Wolf overlap.<br/>Things must get worse before they get better... then they get awesome.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Laura Waits

**Author's Note:**

> Ripping it off like a band-aid.  
> Mama Stilinski is not long for this world.

Laura could hear Katya’s heartbeat from the hospital waiting area. Cancer had been weakening Mama Stilinski’s rhythm for months. The pounding of the grieving girl’s heart, as 4 sets of heartbeats in the room stilled to 3 forever, made Laura’s skin itch. She wanted to run to her best friend’s arms; to cuddle and stroke her hair and murmur soft words in her ear. She stood and began to pace. Her werewolf hearing honed in on the Stilinski room down the hall. She could hear Stiles sniff and Katya clear her throat. Laura could tell Katya wanted to cry. That it was caught in her throat, pushing at her lips to escape but she was strong and Stiles needed her. 

There was not a sound from the Sheriff. The moment his wife’s heart stopped, he froze as if his stillness could will it to beat again. 

Laura couldn’t handle it. Her agitated movements started to draw the attention of a pair of kind eyes from behind the nurse’s station in the lobby.

“We’re ok.” Katya’s gentle voice caught on ‘ok’ as it forced itself past her throat. It was quiet and directed to the hospital room at large: to Stiles in her arms, to their father whose eyes saw nothing but middle-space from shock, to their mother’s spirit or body...

But Laura knew it was for her. 

She realized she had been growling low in her throat and clenching her fists so hard she broke the skin as her claws started to come out. 

“Let’s go get some sleep, bro” Laura could hear shuffling as Katya directed her 10 year old brother away from the shell of their mother. 

“Are you ok, dear?” Laura snapped back to the waiting area as the nurse with the kind eyes addressed her. “Have you hurt your hands?” She hadn’t noticed the nurse approach her. The owner of the eyes had dark curly hair and pastel scrubs and a concerned look on her face.

Laura mastered her features, though her eyebrows betrayed her by staying in their stubborn concerned drawn-together position. 

“I’m fine” Thankful the nurse couldn’t hear the lie in her heartbeat, she tried to subtly hide the quickly healing punctures on her hands. “My friend’s mom just died”

Katya lead a dazed Stiles around the corner. They were both wearing pajamas. Their tennis shoes looked out of place out from under pink stripes and spider-man print respectively. 

“Mrs.McCall..” Katya addressed the kind nurse as Laura noticed the name tag reading ‘Mrs.McCall’ with happy stickers of whales and smilies around it for the first time, “Dad is staying here tonight. Will you make sure he eats something? Laura is going to drive us home” She gestured to Laura with her free hand. The other was occupied holding up her brother. He looked dazed but determined and seemed to be holding up his sister as much as she was him.

“Sure, Katya. You guys go get some rest.” 

-

They walked silently out to Laura’s 1986 Bimmer. Katya handed Stiles in to the back seat and closed the door with a rusty squeal. Laura’s arms were waiting for her when she turned around and the grieving girl melted into them. 

“Let’s go home” Laura said. 

They drove to the Stilinski house. Some of its lights had been left on in their haste to leave earlier. Laura carried Stiles in as Katya unlocked the door. She deposited him on the couch then went to the kitchen to make some tea. Katya closed and locked the door then did the circuit checking all the windows and the back door. 

When she returned to the living room she found Laura on the couch, Stiles curled up next to her and 2 mugs of tea steaming on the coffee table. Katya settled in next to Laura and buried her face in the crook of her friends neck. Laura put an arm around her. She guarded the young Stilinskis as their pain, grief and exhaustion overtook them. 

At one point, Laura moved to drink her tea and Katya awoke.

“Thank you...” her voice raspy from crying and sleep. It reminded Laura of Demi Moore, “... for what you did...” she pressed her forehead against the Laura’s shoulder, “for taking her pain. It was easier... she didn’t suffer at the end”

“You did.” She set down the mug and stroked Katya’s hair with a hand still warm from the cup. “I wanted to save you the pain. I would take yours now if I could; if it would help.” She leaned her head against Katya’s “but it won’t...” She breathed in the soft scent of Katya’s hair. It still held the faint tinges of grief and hospital and the tiniest floral hint of their mother. “I never want you to hurt” 

Laura kissed the top of the girl’s head and rubbed the back of the sleeping boy. 

A little smile appeared on his face. 

They slept fitfully that night, draped over each other. Holding on for dear life.


	2. A Day at the Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They had lived in NY nearly a month before Katya and Laura saw a smile from Derek. He barely spoke anymore and his eyebrows were in a constant state of being pulled together in distress like they were clinging together in desperation. 
> 
> Katya could tell Laura was worried about Derek. Her friend had taken to reading parenting and leadership books and there were tabs open on her browser about local counselors. Katya didn’t fault him for his silence. If her family perished in the fire that destroyed their home 2 months ago, they probably wouldn’t be able to get a word out of her either.

They had lived in NY nearly a month before Katya and Laura saw a smile from Derek. He barely spoke anymore and his eyebrows were in a constant state of being pulled together in distress like they were clinging together in desperation. 

Katya could tell Laura was worried about Derek. Her friend had taken to reading parenting and leadership books and there were tabs open on her browser about local counselors. Katya didn’t fault him for his silence. If her family perished in the fire that destroyed their home 2 months ago, they probably wouldn’t be able to get a word out of her either. 

-

The three of them had settled into somewhat of a routine. Katya and Laura were enrolled at college and they had transferred Derek to the high school nearby. Katya had a dorm on campus while Laura and Derek got an apartment a few blocks away. Katya hadn’t intended on living with Laura but after 2 weeks of a roommate who played her cello for hours on end, Laura insisted. 

“We have plenty of room!” ...wasn’t exactly the truth but the arrangement felt familiar and it was nice to have a quiet place to sleep and study. It wasn’t an entirely selfless request on Laura’s part, Katya knew they were scared. They were young and alone in the world and this was far from the plans she and her best friend had laid out over the past year for their exciting college life in New York. 

Tragedy strikes without regard for plans.

The three of them had fallen asleep together on the Stilinski’s couch the night of the fire just like that horrible night Katya’s mother... 

Since the night of the fire, Derek had shied away from all touch. It was odd for a werewolf. Packs touch. They are all over each other constantly scenting and comforting. Katya knew she needed to do something. Laura was getting increasingly short tempered and frustrated as the night of the full moon drew near. The mantel of Alpha was weighing heavy on her shoulders and this would be their first full moon in NY. They needed to come together somehow. Katya was determined to get under Derek’s skin. They all needed Pack and she was going to pull them together. 

She went digging.

-

“We are going out!” Katya announced. It was 3 days before the full moon and she had spent the last week planning this day. 

“bwah?” Laura’s head and shoulders popped out of the bathroom, toothbrush in hand. Even with toothpaste all over her mouth and her long dark hair in a messy morning ponytail, Katya couldn't help but get a rush of warmth at the sight of her. Laura’s bemused expression made Katya smile.

“Yes, I have the whole day planned so get in the shower. We should leave in an hour.”

Laura stood in the doorway and continued to brush her teeth with one hand propped on her hip, her eyes communicating surprise and concern at the same time. ‘What are you planning?’ was written all over her. 

Derek was at the table with some Cheerios and a copy of Life of Pi propped up against the milk. His face was a mirror of his sister’s with a touch of annoyance and that deep sadness he had been carrying for weeks. 

“Don’t you look at me like that. It will be fun! I promise!” Katya’s enthusiasm was palpable as she skipped to her bedroom to change. 

An hour later they were heading out into the city. Laura peppered Katya with questions attempting to glean an ounce of information about the other girl’s plan for the day. Derek kept glancing over, his eyebrows repeating each question silently (an act that made Katya smile because she knew each glance was a miserable failure of his usual stony nonchalance).

His eyes really widened when they got in view of the stadium. The look of disbelief deepened into shock as they joined the crowd heading toward the entrance. Katya smiled lovingly at him as she handed him his ticket.

Laura gleefully started jumping up and down, “You got us tickets to see the Mets?!” She threw an arm around each of them, “Ahh! This is going to be Awesome!”

Derek stared at Katya as he considered the gesture she was making. He let a small smile grow on his face and he hugged them back. The Mets were his favorite team and he had been upset to miss this crucial game. Laura’s eyes sparkled as she saw the breakthrough and couldn’t help but kiss each of them on the cheek. 

“Come on! Let’s get inside!” Laura linked arms with the two of them and lead them into the park. 

\- 

It was an exciting game, as baseball games went. Laura got them all hot dogs and sodas. Katya purchased Derek a new Mets hat. His old one was getting quite ‘dogeared’ (a comment she promptly expressed that elicited an extreme eye roll from both of the others). Derek’s face lit up more and more as the game went on. They all began to forget the world for just a little while. 

Before they left, Katya decided to buy a hat and program to send home to Stiles. He loved the Mets too. She tried not to miss her dad and brother too much, telling herself that she needed to be Laura’s family right now. She knew the scent of homesickness and regret was heavy in the home already and Katya didn’t want to add to it.

Laura was watching her as she handed cash to the vender. 

“Let’s call him later, OK?” Laura suggested as her wolf nose picked up on the longing that had flit across Katya’s mind when she thought of her own brother. 

“That would be great.” Katya replied with a smile and nod, quickly wicking away a pesky tear. 

They left the park totally elated, arms over each other's shoulders, replaying various plays with wild gestures and over exaggerated commentary while debating their favorite players. Katya led them away from the stadium. She had more in store for them that afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special Thanks to sarcasticchick and kiddestarr for being my sweet betas.


	3. Shattered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Katya,” Derek’s voice cried out of her phone. “Oh God, Tia.” His panic was contagious as she heard his labored breathing and the catch in his throat.
> 
> “Derek? What happened?! Did you find Laura? Is she ok? Are YOU ok?”
> 
> “Tia...” His voice faltered, “I found Laura..” He paused, taking a deep shuddering breath. “..Laura’s dead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Present time starts with Season one Episode one of Teen Wolf. (I am not going to be entirely canon compliant but enough to connect the dots behind the scenes and integrate new characters and whatnot). 
> 
> Laura, Derek and Katya have now lived in New York for 6 years. Laura went to Beacon Hills to investigate some strange occurrences and then disappeared. Derek followed her to find out what became of his sister while Katya finished up her Degree in Genetic Botany.
> 
> Katya gets a phone call from Derek that brings her world down. 
> 
> Trigger notes:  
> Panic attack induced asthma attack

“Katya,” Derek’s voice cried out of her phone. “Oh God, Tia.” His panic was contagious as she heard his labored breathing and the catch in his throat.

“Derek? What happened?! Did you find Laura? Is she ok? Are YOU ok?”

“Tia...” His voice faltered, “I found Laura..” He paused, taking a deep shuddering breath. “..Laura’s dead.”

-

Katya’s world shattered.

Her mind shrieked but her voice, when she found it, was barely a whisper. “What?!”

“I found her... in..in pieces. Oh God, Tia...I..I don’t know what to do.”

Whatever it was she thought he might say at that moment, it certainly wasn’t that. Katya’s legs chose that moment to completely leave the party, forcing her to sit down. Hard. This was one of those pieces of information that should have been prefaced with, “Are you sitting down? You should be sitting down.” But it wasn’t and she landed not in the comfy chair next to her but directly on the armrest. The very real pain jarred her from her shock momentarily.

“Shit! Effing! Sonofa..!” Exclaiming at the abrupt pain she bit her lip and groaned as she slid into the chair. She pinched her eyes shut as she sat gingerly on the offended cheek.

“....Tia?”

She swallowed and took a breath. Her eyes and eyebrows were almost comically twitchy as her mind raced around connecting the dots.

.. _.I’m sorry, WHAT?! I can’t have possibly heard that right. There was some danger, sure, in Laura going back to Beacon Hills to investigate these strange occurrences, and we had been worried enough when she didn’t check in that we both agreed that Der should go and see if she was ok but WHAT?! She can’t possibly be dead. Wait... Did he say “CUT IN HALF”?! Oh SHIT! What if that thing is still out there? How can she possibly be dea... Laura is an Alpha... was.... and no... is (I do not believe this!) SHIT! Derek is a Beta.... without an alpha... Goddamnit... omega.... on his own near a crazed Cutting-People-In-Half-Monster! SHIT!.._.

She blinked a few times as her brain rebooted. She questioned him in a voice that surprised her, stern and calm and not messing around though her throat was thick and her ears were pounding.

“Derek, where are you? Are you safe?”

.. _.You are using the damn Sheriff voice aren’t you._..

“I am at the old house. It looks like she’s been like this for a day or two.”

Her mind started to work very fast, flashing scene after scene of horrible scenarios.

.. _.She’s been out there... in pieces... for days... oh Laura... oh god, Laura._..

Katya’s lungs started up a cheerful wheeze unhelped by the powerful urge to cry pressing on her throat and chest.  

. _..Laura lying alone and broken in the woods for days. No comfort in her last moments. I couldn’t be with her. Probably worrying about me and Derek. Was she scared? OH Laura. Why did you go out there? Why did you go alone? I can’t believe this. I just saw her less than a week ago... but Derek has seen her, is holding her. Poor Derek. I am not there to comfort him, either. How can this be happening? Alone, in pieces, on the damp cold ground of the forest in goddamned Beacon Hills... for days._..

A voice in the back of her mind supplied, lamely, .. _.this is not helpful._.. but it did little to stop her chest from constricting.

“Tia? Where is your inhaler? TIA?” His frantic plea jolted her out of her reverie. “Go find your inhaler!”

She got up, rubbing the bruise forming on her backside as she wheezed her way over to her purse on the counter and started rummaging around inside it.

.. _.Panic attacks and asthma attacks are really similar. They both suck equally as much.. air out of your lungs... I can’t believe my mind is making jokes. There is nothing funny going on in the world right now._..

It was taking her entirely too long to locate her inhaler among the brickabrack.

... _Seriously, do I really need all this junk? Why don’t I just always put it in the same pocket?._..

Finding the pale blue cartridge, she shook the bejeezus out of it a few times before removing the cap, putting it to her lips and squeezing out a dose. She held it in her lungs as long as she could before letting every shred of breath out in a slow woosh.

“Shit, Katya, don’t scare me like that.” Derek let out an exasperated huff. “you, ok?”  

Each breath she took next began to get easier as she held on to the edge of the counter. The “yeah” she gave him was still accompanied by a wheeze but the elephant had decided to stop sitting on her chest, so that was a plus.

After a moment he continued, “I brought her into the house. Tia, I am going to bury her... but, I only found...” He made a broken sound before finishing, “...half.”

“Oh God, Derek” She released the counter to cover her mouth in horror. She found her cheeks streaked with tears.

After a moment she came to a decision. “Derek, I am coming to Beacon Hills. I did my presentation yesterday. I am all done. I don’t need to go to graduation. I need to be there, with you.”

“Katya. No.” His stony dismissal made her brows pull together and her jaw clench in indignation. “I don’t know what did this. If it was a wolf, they are an Alpha now. Its too dangerous.” His stern voice faltered a bit, “I don’t want to lose you too.” His voice was quieted by his confession but his determination steamrolled on. “Whoever did this lured her here. It feels like a trap. I don’t want you anywhere near this place. Tia, they knew how to get to Laura and, I think, me. I don’t even think you are safe in New York. Take that job in South America. Take it and go.”

“Derek...”

He cut off any argument, “No. Go. I will find out who did this. I need you safe.” He let out another sigh. “You are all I have now.”

His words caused a choked sob to escape her throat. “Do one thing for me, Derek. Look after Stiles for me... and you BETTER check in! I can’t lose you too!”

“I’ve gotta go. Some people are jogging close to the house.” She could hear a muffled scream on his end of the phone. “Shit... it sounds like they found the rest of her.”

“Derek, look out for yourself! Call me tonight. I will get things closed up here... I love you, Der.”

“You too, Tia. Talk to you tonight.”

His quiet reply prompted Katya to hit the ‘End’ button on her phone as she walked to the bedroom. She collapsed onto the bed and curled herself around Laura’s pillow giving in to her world shattering grief and tears.


	4. Lurking in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek just got off the phone with Katya.  
> He is having a rough evening.
> 
> Stiles. Why the HELL are you out here in the middle of the night?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some warnings:  
> Intense grief, some suggested violence and graphic descriptions.
> 
> Also:  
> I quote directly from the show in places. These lines are not mine. They belong to the genius that is Jeff Davis, MTV, Teen Wolf and it's writers.

Evening sunlight filtered through cracked and dirty window panes, throwing scattered light throughout the charred remains of the Hale home. Derek knelt on the floor in what was once the living room, clutching the remains of his sister to his chest, his silent phone still in his hand, her head leaning against his shoulder as if she were sleeping.

Katya's voice had grounded him out of his panic momentarily but hearing the joggers' frantic voices as they called the authorities spiked his adrenaline again.

.. _.I am not safe here_...

It was a thought that pained him. His childhood home was once such a place of safety. Nothing could hurt him or his family there. They had been so strong.

.. _.Till I lost everything. It was my fault._...

He shook his head.

... _Now is not the time to dredge up that discussion._...

Derek pocketed the phone before lifting his sister and himself from the floor. He made little sound as he walked through the house.

So many memories in this house. His little sisters had taken their first steps right there in the living room. Maggie had first shifted for him on these stairs. He walked through the kitchen that was largely destroyed and open to the back yard. There, next to the door to the basement, was the wall that was once covered in little marks to show the growth of all the young ones born to the pack. Ash and decay blackened every memory. This was no longer the house that was safe and warm and full of loved-ones.

He followed the stairs down into the basement and across the cement floor. Carefully holding his sister near to his heart, he refused to look down. It churned his stomach to see his vibrant strong sister...unwhole.

He took a steadying breath and pulled the secret lever hidden behind a partially charred storage shelf, hoping beyond hope that the mechanism still worked. After a series of clicks, the bit of wall behind the shelf shuddered and rolled back as the shelf swung forward slightly. It didn't quite work all the way but it was a big enough opening for him to maneuver the two of them through.

Once inside, the wall and shelf rumbled back into place, plunging them into darkness. His eyes could see in near dark but this was absolute. He brought his phone out again to light the way. Doorways appeared to his left and right as he made his way down the stone hall. The floor sloped downward, steadily, deep under the Hale lands and away from the house.

.. _.If those bastards hadn't used mountain ash to seal the perimeter of the house._..

His family might have survived, escaping through these tunnels.

He shifted the distressingly-light weight in his arms to better hold the light.

This place had once been full of the scents of his family, his pack. These rooms were their 'Luna-rooms', used to house those who had not yet found control or an anchor during their lunar shift... or just a quiet place that blocks out the sounds of the world. Each room was completely soundproofed to shield the world from the frantic sounds of the shift and reinforced to hold the shifted.

At last he found his own. It no longer smelled of him but the moment he touched the door frame, an afterimage burned bright in his mind. His sensory memory flashed through a dozen feverish moments locked in this very room and one where he had just gone there to be alone... after the fire.

He tried to swallow past the lump in his throat as the memories overwhelmed him.

He carried her into the luna-room and laid her on the bare mattress on the floor, curling up next to her.

. _..Laura_...

Her long dark hair was matted in places and a few leaves and twigs remained but where he buried his face in her shoulder, it was soft against his cheek. Her neck felt the same as is did a few days ago, though now it was cold and pale and her pulse was a heavy absence.

Derek forced himself to remember the sound of life pumping through her veins. Laura's steady beat had been a constant thing in his life, long before memory. There had been others, those of his parents, his older brother Markel, and little sisters Cora and Margarette. He cherished all their heartbeats. They were fluttering life links that tied them all together.

One by one they all stopped.

... _till it was just you, Laura._..

He breathed her in. She smelled of death and forest but something else too. Her familiar scent mingled with the lingering ones of Katya and himself, just as it always had in New York, but it also included something else tinged with ash and vengeance. He knew he had definitely smelled it before but  he couldn’t quite place it. Something from deep in his past, familiar, buried under years of pain and regret.

The acrid stench of his own past and present grief filled the small room as he nuzzled her shoulder. He tried to pretend they were back in New York curled up on the couch watching the Mets play; their ice cream melting in bowls on the coffee table.  

-

Derek stirred from his grief and sleep some time later. A thirst gripped his throat as he tried to blink the dust and grime out of his eyes. The room was overwhelmingly dark. He felt his way around looking for his discarded phone. Turning it on, he shone the light away from his sister toward the door while he made to leave the room. He turned back once considering, for a moment, before he decided to close and lock the door behind him.

Once in the hall, the sounds of the world came back to him. Faint footfalls and calling voices were coming from the forest. He walked to the far end of the tunnel that led out into the wilderness, carefully listening and treading softly.  He took a deep breath and cleared his mind. He concentrated on hearing the individual voices and heartbeats of those on his family’s land.

A great number of people were fanned out on the edge of the preserve with flashlights gliding over the undergrowth. They were still too far away to see or hear him crawling out from the drainage pipe that concealed the entrance to the tunnels. The unknown scent that had lingered on Laura’s body drifted by, catching his attention. His eyes flashed blue as he scanned the trees around him. The scent was faint, maybe it was from the night Laura died. He mentally made an oath to practice honing his skills. Living in New York had made him really lax in his training.

Two pairs of blundering footfalls in the opposite direction of the preserve snapped him out of his thoughts. He could hear their voices from where he stood. One had labored breathing while the other would not shut up.

“Just out of curiosity, which half of the body are we looking for?” one boy said with a wheeze.

“Huh! I didn’t even think about that.” The second boy replied.

“And, uh, what if whoever killed the body is still out here?”

“Also something I didn’t think about.”

“It’s... comforting to know you’ve planned this out with your usual attention to detail.”

“I know, right?”

“Maybe the severe asthmatic should be the one holding the flashlight, huh?” The second boy stopped to use his inhaler.

Derek deftly moved in the darkness, without making a sound, toward the pair. As he drew nearer, a scent stopped him in his tracks.

... _Katya. Why is Tia’s scent here?_...

Then it hit him as the two boys crested the hill. The lean boy at the top of the slope, whose gaze was trained back at his friend along with the beam from his flashlight, was wearing the hoodie Katya had sent him this week.

.. _.Tia, you really are more wolf than any human I know_...  

She had slept in that hoodie for 3 nights before she sent it to Beacon Hills and now Stiles was drenched in his sister’s scent.

.. _.I suppose living with 2 weres for 6 years and dating one for 3 makes one pick up some interesting habits._..

Derek let a small groan escape him. 

.. _.Stiles. Why the HELL are you out here in the middle of the night?_...

He couldn’t help but grind his teeth and shake his head.

The boys finally noticed that the search party was drawing closer to their location; a development that caused them to veer off to the left to skirt around the officials and their roving flashlights. Derek followed them silently from afar, trying to make good on the promise he made hours before to Stiles’ sister.

A movement up ahead made his stomach turn. The boys hadn’t seen the shadowy shape between the trees and they certainly didn’t see a pair of telltale red pinpricks in the dark that accompanied its movements.

... _an alpha_...

The odd scent mixed with ash and vengeance hit his senses anew leaving no question in his mind whatsoever that this Alpha was the one that had killed Laura.

Derek tried to turn his panic into something useful and bolted further into the forest where he heard a few deer nibbling the soft fresh grass covered in evening dew. He carefully positioned himself behind them and surprised a buck, 3 does and their fawns into a mad dash that sent them directly at the space between the boys and the alpha wolf.

The crashing sounds of the spooked deer reached the boys who broke into a run. Derek attempted to follow the movements of the two boys but the only one he could easily track was the one wearing Katya’s hoodie. The asthmatic’s cries of, “Stiles! Wait! Stiles!!” were muffled by the foray.

In his rush to create a diversion, Derek lost track of the Alpha. He frantically searched the trees for the red eyes and lurking shape as he ran to catch up with Stiles. The boy, at least, had enough sense to run in the direction of the preserve and the armed officials. Derek positioned himself behind a tree and watched as Stiles ran headlong into the police line.  

“Hold it right there!” One of the officers shouted into the dark.

The Sheriff’s voice rang out as Stiles came into their line of sight, “Hang on, hang on. This little delinquent belongs to me.”

“Hi” Stiles visibly swallowed. “...Dad.” He waved an arm in front of his face to shield himself from the myriad of lights pointed in his direction.

“So...Do you listen in on all my phone calls, Son?”

Derek looked on as the Sheriff took a moment to rub the bridge of his nose, a gesture that suggested he liberally used it when dealing with his son… and one he recognised better on the Man’s daughter.

“No!...Well...not the boring ones”

.. _.Katya always said Stiles could never get that brain to mouth filter to work_...

“Well, I am taking you home where we will have a long talk about something I like to call ‘invasion of privacy’.”

Stiles groaned as his father lead him back to the line of parked cruzers with a firm grip on the boy’s neck.

Derek was grateful he had left the Camaro he shared (... _had shared_...) with Laura back at the motel outside of town. It would have been very suspect parked so near the body.

.. _.Laura’s body_...

His heart pained, thinking of where he left her, locked in his old luna-room.

.. _.She should be safe there till I can bury her properly_...

Derek let out a sigh.

.. _.and Stiles is safe…but what about the other boy?_...

He ran back the way he came and only halted when he smelled blood and fear. He circled the clearing, sniffing the air and casting his beta-blues about for any sign. The teen’s trail went off in one direction while an overwhelming amount of deer blood lead toward the preserve along with that annoying ash and vengeance smell he now associated with the rouge Alpha.

Derek was a silent shadow in the woods as he followed Stiles’ friend away from the carnage,  honing in on the boy’s scent. It smelled strongly of teenage boy and axe bodywash with traces of hospital and asthma medication. As he tracked through the near dark, a cool breeze drifted across his face accompanied by a drop of rain.

.. _.rain...perfect_ …

Up ahead, the boy’s scent pooled around an object on the ground. The sharp tang of human blood assaulted his senses but he was relieved to find it in far smaller amounts than that of the deer back in the clearing.

.. _.just the bite then_...

Reaching down, he found the boy’s inhaler. “Scott McCall” was printed on the prescription sticker with the boy’s address. Somehow, knowing the boy’s name brought the situation into sharp focus.

... _It could have been much worse_...

He didn’t even want to think about Stiles’ friend ending up like Laura. He adjusted his leather jacket to protect himself against those thoughts and the intermittent smacks and splashes of cold and wet.

.. _.With luck, he will survive and heal and he won’t need one of these anymore_...

He pocketed the inhaler, stoically taking the rain in the face as it started to rain in earnest.

.. _.just in case_...

Derek followed the trail of sparse blood droplets to the road that lead back to town. He lost track of Scott again as the rain washed every scent and footprint away.

A howl rent the air from deep in the preserve. Derek felt the alpha’s pulling call to betas that did not respond. This alpha was alone... but not for long. Soon, Scott will learn to follow the call of the hunt.

.. _.You are not my Alpha. You have no hold on me... All I want right now is a hot shower and some food._..

  
He turned toward the motel and ran, partially shifted, through the wet forest. The alpha’s call was far away; a keening cry, almost sad. Derek would have felt badly if he wasn’t dead sure this howl came from the were that killed his sister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my little Cupcakes!  
> Just a little note to let everyone know that I intend to post a new chapter every Monday (this may or may not usually occur late into Monday night) but weekly is the plan.
> 
> Feel Free to send me questions and/or comments below. 
> 
> Happy Moonday!


	5. To Forever Follow the Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek managed to get into his motel room with the key while juggling an assortment of vending machine snacks.  
> His memories are peppered through with flashes of Laura.

The Motel on the edge of town was a seedy little place. It had been a lovely little Mom & Pop place when it was built in the 70s but now it was barely to code. Their main draw, clearly displayed under their sign, was “Coffee makers and TVs in every room!” A new little sign on the door to the office also boasted “Free Wifi... in the office”.

Derek managed to get into his room with the key while juggling an assortment of vending machine snacks. He toed off his muddy boots just inside the door before depositing his bounty on the bed.

Derek didn’t mind roughing it. This sure beat squatting in the burned out remains of his family’s home or the tunnels underneath. The place had hot water and air conditioning that was cold, though it smelled like freon and didn’t quite bring down the humidity. He popped an uncooked poptart into his mouth while he played with the dials on the AC.

... _should hit the grocery store tomorrow_...

He made a mental list of the things he needed to get the next day as he shuffled to the bathroom in his wet socks. He shook the concern for the old hotel carpet out of his mind with a shower of droplets from his sopping hair.

He got a glimpse of himself in the mirror as he stepped from the brown berber to the eggshell tile of the bathroom. He was soaked through and his jeans had a liberal application of mud and leaves. Derek could still smell the stale grief left on him from those hours in the luna-room. He wondered, vaguely, how many more people he will lose and if that smell of loss will follow him the rest of his life. His eyebrows drew together, clinging tightly to one another like they did when he was younger.

Turning on the shower he slid down the wall to sit on the floor with his back against the tub. His head found its way into his hands.

.. _.Laura_...

He pressed his palms against his eyes as the room filled with steam.

.. _.If only I could have been here with you! I should have been here! Why am I always too late?!_...

This thought was punctuated by a punch to the floor that made the tile grind against the grout.

.. _.I was nearly too late to save you the night we lost them. It would have been my fault as much as the others._..

He closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh, his nostrils flaring in disgust at himself.

.. _.All because I thought I was in love_...

He hugged his arms to his chest and hung his head.

.. _.You've saved me so many times. You set me on the right path. How am I supposed to live now? What is it I am supposed to do? All I know is that I have to bury you. I can't leave you down there all alone. It is bad enough... you...are...not...whole_...

Flashes of his childhood raced across his mind as he wiped angrily at his face with his arm. He simply did not care that mud from his sleeve left a streak across his temple. The funeral rites of his grandfather when he was 8 years old played in his mind like an old home-movie.

\---Interlude---

The Hale lands were teaming with wolves and humans that week for Grandfather’s passing. His funeral was timed with the moon but the whole pack showed up early with allies and friends to pledge fealty to my mother as she became the new alpha. Her kind heart mixed with her natural affinity to lead made her the obvious choice to inherit. Uncle Peter had pursued the roll but Grandfather knew his son should never wear the mantle of Alpha. His desire for power was too great and he had a sly streak that made him quick to laugh in those days, though you never knew if his words or actions had more than one motive.

Maxwell Deaton (Alan Deaton's father) officiated the ceremony under a quarter moon. Everyone gathered around Grandfather’s resting place at the base of a large standing stone in a clearing at the center of the hale lands. As a sign of respect, every werewolf had shifted as far as they could into beta or full wolf form depending on their shape shifting abilities. Hales born to the pack under Grandfather were notoriously strong in this ability adding a great number of wolves to the attendance.

Two pack members, chosen by mother, carefully wrapped Grandfather in burlap, tied all around in a long length of rope with many knots. Maxwell performed the rites silently, except where the incantation was needed, carefully burying the end of a wolfsbane rope with Grandfather's still body. As the two betas filled in the grave, Deaton Sr. wound the rope of purple flowers around the body at ground level and it too was covered in a layer of soil.

The whole pack let loose a long keening howl as Grandfather's scent went from human to wolf.

He shall forever sleep with his brethren and follow the hunt.

-

The funeral after the Hale Fire was much less traditional. Far from it. It had been so public and there had been nothing left to bury.

Derek blocked much of those days from memory... or someone had... to help him sleep at night.

\---

His memories, now, were peppered through with flashes of Laura.

.. _.cold on the ground, still in my arms, the feel of her skin, her scent lingers on me. Last week, when she was determined to come back here, her face had been so serious all the while she stole my last cookie._..

Though the room was full of thick steam, a chill clung to him. He stood slowly as he stripped off his sopping grey henley. He balled up the rest of his soiled clothes and stuffed them into one of those laundry bags one always finds in hotel rooms (an amenity he was, quite frankly, surprised this motel offered) before stepping into the shower. The nearly scalding water cascaded over his fatigued muscles, washing away the mud, grime, grief and panic. The ache in his chest was as constant as the hold on his throat that strangled every sound coming out of his mouth. The spray hid his tears as he began to let go of all the things he had been holding on to all day.  

-

It was pretty late when he stepped out of the bathroom in a plume of steam with a towel wrapped around his waist. He was rubbing a second towel over his damp hair when he noticed his phone blinking at him from the nightstand heralding a missed call from Katya. He silently praised the Motel’s wonderful ability to keep the water hot for as long as he had needed as he dialed her back.

“Mfhello?” Katya’s groggy voice croaked out of his phone

.. _.Fuck! The time difference!._..

He hid his face behind his free arm for a moment and took a breath to collect himself.

“Ah, Tia! I am so sorry. I forgot about the time difference.” He tried to make his voice soft so he didn’t wake her too much.

“Derek?”

“Yeah, Tia. I wanted you to know I was ok. I saw your call.”

“I was worried about you”

“I know... Everything is alright.” He sighed and settled onto the mattress. “I saw your dad and brother tonight.”

That woke her up.

“You what?!”

“There was a huge search party out combing the forest, so naturally the Sheriff was there. Your brother decided it would be exciting to drag his asthmatic friend into the forest to look for a dead body,” his strong voice hitched as his mind filled in ... _Laura’s body_... He was never going to get used to that. “He was wearing your hoodie, you know.”

She made a little exhale through her nose at that last bit of news; a noise he knew well as an almost silent laugh. The corner of his mouth turned up to hear it.

“It surprised the heck out of me to smell you in the forest tonight, by the way.” He said, making her squeak.

“Well.. I just... uh... “ She floundered, “Did anyone see you?!”

“Nice deflection, and no. I stayed hidden. Katya, it was a wolf that killed Laura.”

He heard her gasp at this sudden piece of news. “Oh god, Derek.”

“I saw him out there tonight. He carried the same scent I found on her body and I saw his eyes… Tia, they were red… and it is so strange. I swear I know that smell from somewhere.”

“It was out there? What happened? Is ev..”

Facepalming at his lack of tack, he interrupted her line of questioning. “Stiles and your dad are just fine. The Sheriff took him home... but his friend,” Derek took out the inhaler to check the name again, “I lost track of... Scott in the commotion. Tia, he was bitten tonight.“

The sharp inhalation on the other end of the phone made him stammer, “I am sorry I..I..couldn’t...”

“Der.” Her voice was soft, “You did what you could. You kept my family safe... and you are safe. Keep remembering that. You can’t change what happened so you just need to make the best of this new situation. Can you help him?”

“I’ll have to. I will need his help to take down this alpha.” Derek shifted uncomfortably on the bed. “He was bitten against his will, Tia. He wasn’t given a choice. We always gave our potentials the choice and made sure they knew what they were agreeing to.”

“I know”

-

“Derek” she said after a moment. It was almost a whisper.

“I miss her too.” He knew without seeing that there were tears on her cheeks. Derek angrily wiped at his own eyes with the heel of his free hand.

“I’ll call you tomorrow, Tia.”

“Be careful, Der”

“I will.” It was one of those obligatory answers one gives to a command like that, though Derek knew he couldn't really help but put himself in some kind of danger with the situation he was in. Both parties know it is a lie but both pretend (or hoped) that just by saying it, it would act as a ward to keep them safe.

They said their goodnights. Derek tucked the phone against his chest as he pressed the end button. He lay back on the bed and curled up on his side. Something was jabbing his hip. Remembering his vending machine dinner, he angrily pulled the beef jerky package out from under himself before clamping his eyes shut in an attempt to shut out the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay on this chapter!  
> A family emergency halted my writing for a week.  
> I hope you all had a wonderful Moonday (though, how wonderful can it be with out a new episode of Teen Wolf?).  
> Till next week, Stud Muffins!  
> -Ashby


	6. Coping Cabana

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last time Katya lost someone, Laura had been there to help her cope. Now it was Laura that was gone.

Soft light hit the curtains in the window above Katya’s bed painting a paisley dapple on her face through the little eyelets in the fabric. The sun had just breached the horizon and she could hear the city waking up. A siren wailed and a garbage truck banged and jostled a large dumpster down on the side street but it was still too early for her to be waking just yet. She blearily rubbed at her eyes and rolling over she reached out for Laura. Katya’s eyes snapped open as the previous day’s happenings fell into place in her mind.

... _Laura is gone_...

Katya didn’t want to wake up to a world without Laura.

... _no no no no no_...

She curled in on herself, jamming her eyes shut and pulling the covers over her head. Life was too cruel to deal with today.

-

Katya woke some time later tangled in her blankets and had a gripe in her abdomen that could no longer be ignored with sleep. She crawled out of bed with a grump securely attached to her face.

... _How dare a day like this even exist_...

She scowled her scowliest “Derek” face as she tore her damp sleep shirt over her head and tossed it on the floor on the way to the bathroom.

“Why did you have to go to FUCKING Beacon Hills?!!” she yelled at the apartment in general. “Our life is HERE! We haven't been back in years! Why now?!”

She stomped her way to the kitchen to make coffee and slammed around punctuating each question and exclamation till she elbowed her empty mug off the counter. The hand-painted fragments exploded out across the floor.

\- - -

It was one of those things they did as a “family”. A new tradition they did every couple of months, usually on a painful day like a parent’s birthday or anniversary. It started because they didn’t actually have any dishes when they moved to New York except the depressing $1 store set provided by the furnished apartment. It became a thing for them to do together and to personalize the drab apartment with its open shelf kitchen layout.

Katya found the pottery place while walking around (think lost) looking for the mom and pop grocery store in their neighborhood. Paint-It-Yourself Pottery was one of those places with pre-made pottery sitting out on bare wooden shelves waiting to be painted. The artsy clerks dispense little dollops of paint on little pallets and you paint by the hour.

The first time they dared to try Paint-It-Yourself, Derek had been scowly, though it really was his default expression in those days so he could have been excited for all Katya knew.

They all agreed before they arrived that day, that they would each paint a bowl, a cup and a plate of the same kind of pottery. Laura ultimately decided which pieces they would paint after she gleefully exclaimed at a set of slightly square dinnerware. Her beaming face left them no arguments to that decision.

Laura excitedly gave one of the aproned clerks her list of solid colors: red, blue, orange and one speckled pink paint while Katya deliberated over all the crackly or sparkled purples, plums and dark blues. Derek stood nearby as another clerk prepared a little pallet that was quite devoid of color: Black, grey and silver.

The time spent together painting just flew by. They talked little but looked at each others work occasionally to see what the competition was drumming up. Laura’s pieces made Katya stifle a giggle. The girl clearly had no talent for painting but she just flipped her long dark hair over her shoulder and aloofly exclaimed, “I am going for a modern look… unlike you, nerd” Laura lovingly poking her friend in the ribs. Katya had been proud of her pieces. She put a lot of attention in to the colors she used and had a theme between them using base colors overlaid with the shapes of Caffeine, Sugar and Tryptophan Molecules. Derek’s, on the other hand, were so very Derek. There was no other way to describe them. Minimalistic, utilitarian with attention to the number of layers one needed to get a good rich color (if you could call black and grey colors). They ended up having such a good time that they only noticed its passage when the in-store mixed CD started over at least 3 times, made all the more noticeable by the recurrence of “Raspberry Beret”.

A week later they picked up their pottery that had been clear-glazed and fired in-house.

Laura and Katya could see the hidden delight on Derek’s face. It was marked by the absence of a scowl as the women at the shop in their matching aprons came out to see the boy that had painted their favorite pieces that week.

\- - -

The mug had been the one Laura had painted for Katya on their official first anniversary. She loved the little mug instantly. It was just soooo Laura to say she had painted the forest she grew up in around Beacon Hills, though it was completely covered in brown lines and green swirls. A big heart on the bottom with L+K in it made Katya’s heart melt.

...and now there were fragments of brown lines and green swirls all over the floor. The heart had a crack clean through it.

Katya sank to the floor in a crouch clutching the counter while her body rocked with sobs. She couldn’t tell the difference between her grief for the cup or for Laura.

Of course she knew why Laura had to go. Strange occurrences had been happening all over Beacon Hills for the past few months. None of them would have even been aware of it if Katya’s father hadn’t mentioned things in passing during a couple of their video calls. He wasn’t really supposed to divulge particulars but she didn’t really need to pump her father for information when her little brother would willingly spill the beans on her next call with him. He was a virtual river of information and he sure liked to babble like a little brooke.

Once she quieted, she swept up the remains of the cup into the trash and went back to bed.

The world could wait.

She wanted no part of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happiest of Moondays, my little muffins!
> 
> True Story:  
> Every time I go to the Paint-It-Yourself pottery place in my town (not it's real name), they always have the same music. I don't know if it is someone's iPod or a mixed CD but what ever it is, the only constant is that "Raspberry Beret" by Prince and The Revolution plays once an hour. It invariably gets stuck in my head by the time we are done painting. 
> 
> Feel free to comment below.   
> Does anyone have any good coping mechanisms?


	7. ...mmm lemon bars...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek felt hollow, gutted, and could have slept for days but his mind kept going to his sister’s side... lying cold and alone in the tunnels below the remains of his burned out past.
> 
> Today, he needed to bury his sister.
> 
> AKA - Today is going to be hard. I need coffee and treats.

Derek felt hollow, gutted, and could have slept for days but his mind kept going to his sister’s side... lying cold and alone in the tunnels below the remains of his burned out past.

Today, he needed to bury his sister.

-

Derek peeled himself out of bed when the sun peaked through the thin brown curtains of his motel room. He dressed and did what he could with his hair, which wasn’t much considering he slept on it wet and it had a wicked cowlick on one side.

... _but really, does it matter today?_... He thought as he tried to smash down the wayward strands with wet fingertips.

He headed out into town, taking the Camaro through light early morning traffic to the Bakery Cafe on 5th street.

... _Coffee shops are fairly universal. You walk into one and you could be anywhere_ …

There were as many tables crammed into the shop as there possibly could be and a counter and display case with equally as many treats jammed inside in tight little rows. 

... _Baristas are hit or miss on personality but you can pretty much guarantee they will wear an apron and probably spell your name wrong on the cup_...  

There were a few patrons milling about waiting for their orders but the rush hadn't really hit yet so he strode confidently up to the cheerful barista and did a double take when he read “Cherry” on her nametag.

... _That cannot be her real name_ …

"What can I getcha?" She smiled pleasantly with lips colored the same as her name so he shook off his surprise and put on his “everything is alright and I am a cheerful human being” smile that is anything but the truth, and ordered his coffee with a muffin.

... _Why don’t I ever think of a good fake name when I come to these places? Jean Valjean? Voldemort? Anything?_... He thought just after he gave his green-apron-wearing barista a flat “Derek” when she asked for his name. ... _SHE thought of a good fake name_ … He smiled as his thoughts wandered to a particular bad b-movie night when Katya insisted they watch Cherry 2000 in its entirety.

... _I still can’t believe Laurence Fishburne agreed to be in a movie about fem-bots_...

“Here you go, Derek”

This “Cherry” handed him his steaming cup of coffee (sugar, milk and butterscotch because, hey, today was going to be hard) and as he reached for a napkin he saw an appalling ‘Dhaerique’ scrawled on the side of the cup.

Cherry the peppy barista seemed to take this skill of misspelling to an art level. She just HAD to be trolling him. He looked from the cup to her retreating ponytail swaying side to side as she cheerfully went to help another customer.

... _Did she seriously have the time to learn, and use Comic Sans in real life?!_...

Shaking his head, he sipped at his coffee, which, despite the horrible rendition of his name, tasted fairly good. Content with the sweet nectar in his cup, he took it and his blueberry muffin to the farthest booth from the door along the row of windows. He thumbed through the newspaper left there by its previous occupant, not really looking at it as much as to look busy while he ate.

The paper had the normal amount of political posturing and craziness that holds the attention of the news when there are people with superhuman abilities in the world who cannot for the life of them keep it a secret.

Derek took a deep pull from his delicious coffee and stopped mindlessly paging through the Beacon Hills Gazette when his eyes settled on an entire page plastered with a large ad complete with full color photos.  

>   
> **S.H.I.E.L.D. Wants YOU to keep a lookout for the HULK!**  
>  Do not approach! Highly Dangerous!  
> Call this hotline if you have seen this man or his giant green alter-ego.  
> He was last spotted in Italy but he is capable of traveling quickly and could be anywhere.

... _I am glad this S.H.I.E.L.D. is still clueless to the real existence of werewolves. I hate to think what would happen if hunters were funded by the government_ … Shuddering, he took a bite from the top of his muffin. It was still warm and super moist. He closed his eyes for a moment before looking at an article on the next page.

>   
> **CEO of Stark Industries, Tony Stark, still missing in middle east.**  
>  Obadiah Stane declines to comment on his new role at the company. Since being appointed acting CEO, production and sales of firearms and the new Jericho Missile system has jumped by 15%.

The strong scent of citrus hit him as the peppy barista walked through the double doors from the back. She whistled a fragment of song as she placed a fresh batch of lemon bars in the cold case.

… _mmm lemon bars_...

-

Derek left the shop with the rest of his coffee and a little brown bag with a few tart little treats, his heart slightly lighter, buoyed by comfort sweets.

… _I won’t let this become a habit. It is just because today is hard_...

He couldn’t help but have a face devoid of scowl as he got back in the camaro.

_

Derek sat in the parking lot outside the animal clinic a few minutes later, readying himself for his next task.

… _Breath_...

His nose flared as he forced the breaths.

He finally got out of the car and walked into the clinic where a little chime rang in the back.

“I’m sorry, we’re not open till 9...” Alan Deaton walked through the doorway from the back. “...Derek?”

The man in question let out the breath he was holding and some of the tension left his shoulders (not all, but it was a relief that the Vet remembered him).

“Doc.” Derek put his hands in his pockets rolling his shoulders forward and shifting his weight from foot to foot. “I have some bad news and I need your help.”

Deaton's face was unreadable as always. After a moment's deliberation he fixed a pleasant sort of expression on his face and said, "Come back to my office" while he opened the wood panel half door separating the waiting area from the back.

Derek took a breath, found his feet and followed him back. He would have been shocked if Deaton had actually been surprised by his showing up 'out of the blue'. The Vet had not changed in the slightest in all these years.

-

"I am sorry about Laura, Derek." His face looked forlorn as Derek spoke of her death but Alan had listened to his story as if he had been expecting it. "You said you needed my help?"

"Yeah..." Derek crossed his arms and squared his shoulders, putting on his "serious" face before continuing. "Will you help me bury her? I want to do it the old way... but some of the elements... I can't..."

"I understand." Deaton reached for a pad of post-its and started scribbling. "You should know, a deputy was already by here today asking if I would help with a homicide.” He looked up from his notes, handing Derek the post-it over his desk.

... _still speaking in cryptic vaguely helpful phrases, I see_ … He took the slip of paper and read over its contents,

> Bury wrapped in cloth, burlap or canvas is traditional, and secure it with rope. Make sure you tie exactly 30 knots in the rope leaving one end free of the ground.

"I take it you are going to bury her on Hale land?"

"She loved this tree near the house we used to climb when we were little. I figured she would like it there." 

Deaton nodded, agreeing with his choice.

“I will come by and perform the rites under cover of darkness once the moon reaches the next phase in a few days...I don’t need to tell you to destroy that," He gestured to the post-it, “as soon as you don’t need it anymore.”

Deaton gave him a concerned look.

"Such a tragedy to lose another Hale on that land."

Derek held his arms close to his chest as the muscles of his jaw worked furiously at the mention of his family. He could feel his raw emotion bubbling close to the surface, threatening his resolve. 

Deaton made an aborted gesture with his right hand as if he were going to grasp Derek's shoulder but thought better of it saying, "Be careful out there."

“You too.” He turned to leave pausing briefly to utter, “and...Thanks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little lighter and a bit of a filler but I just adore Coffee Shop Fics. I just had to put in that thought about leaving fake names at Coffee Shops because of this fic:  
> [Voldemort and Jean Valjean (Walk into a Coffee Shop)](http://archiveofourown.org/works/831990) by PsychicPineapple  
> And Lemon Bars because of this one:  
> [Baking My Way Into Your Heart](http://archiveofourown.org/works/580036/chapters/1040945) By theSilence  
> Check them out!  
> Also, if you or anyone you know is hosting a Bad B-Movie night, I recommend Cherry 2000. It is wonderfully awful. 
> 
> Thanks to sarcasticchick for being an amazing beta and all around sweet person!


	8. Running for her life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'It is very zen to forget the world and just concentrate on breathing' She thought then shook her head because 'thinking that isn’t pushing thought from my mind. wow. this is hard'.
> 
> In which Katya goes running.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize it is now canon that Mama Stilinski's name is "Claudia" but I have been calling her Anya in my head for months. I am sticking with Anya.

Katya’s phone chimed faintly through the haze of waking. It had been an odd nagging sound within her dream, completely out of place within the forest as she walked. Barefoot along sun warmed trails and soft grass, it pulled at her to wake up.  

She slowly opened her eyes, rolling onto her back. The leafy canopy dissolved leaving a white expanse of ceiling above her. A memory flit across her mind of lying here with Laura on lazy Saturday mornings picking images out of the swirls and speckles above their bed. Laura would point her foot in the air, wiggling her toes at the faces or objects she saw. Those mornings usually spiraled into fits of giggles.

... _"Sleeping your life away won't bring me back."_...

Katya closed her eyes as she heard Laura's voice in her mind.

... _But it hurts_...

... _"Life is pain, grasshopper."_... Laura's giggles, even in memory, bring a smile but the heavy hole in Katya's chest where Laura should be tightens a bit.

... _You need to get up_... Both of their voices overlap in her mind as she willed herself up, swinging her legs off the side of the bed. She wiped blearily at her eyes before running fingers through her chestnut hair in an attempt to gain full wakefulness.

The apartment was still and as quiet as a highrise in New York could be. Water was flowing through a pipe over head and muffled voices could be heard next door. A siren wailed down on the street and a steady beat from a neighbor’s radio resonated up through the floorboards.

... _How could they stand to live here all this time? The sounds of the city are oppressive even to human ears_...

She remembered when the New York life got to her two roommates. They snapped and growled easily when it all got to be too much. Times like those were just cause to go out for a pack run. They would always come back energized and clear headed, piling on the couch to thoroughly mix their scents while they were strong.

... _and how was it that wiping workout sweat on each other was not weird in the slightest?_...

She missed it. Especially the constant smiles and little wuffing sounds they would make in the cuddle pile.

... _I am going running_...

Her stomach growled.

... _after I eat...and take meds_...

She got out of her grief-bed feeling somewhat better now that she had a plan for the next hour or so.

-

Katya stepped into a steady rhythm in the direction of Riverside Park along the Hudson, automatically starting up her mp3 player with her running playlist. She skipped a few songs before she realized every one of them reminded her of Laura. The lyrics seemed too full of meaning. Katya turned off the playlist and switched on the noise-canceling feature. The world fishtanked, muffling the city. Her breathing and heartbeat pulsed in her ears.

Her legs put up a fight for the first few intervals but training taught her to push through the ache and tightness. Looking around at the lush green of the park prompted her brain to tell her the names of every plant she saw. It was a hazard of being a botanist with an excellent visual memory… well, where plants are concerned. She concentrated, instead, on her breathing. Watching her shadow for a while, she found herself mindlessly counting steps or breaths.

She had to slow down and walk a few times before she stopped to stretch her calves lapsing into her stretching routine without thought. Her muscles knew better than she did what they needed. She leaned against a light post with one leg out behind her pressing the heel into the ground, dipping her head forward as the stretch burned and eased down her leg. Slowly letting it release before switching to the other leg, she took a deep breath, ears full of the sound of her breathing. She tried to be mindful of that breath as she lifted her arms to the sky and bent at the waist, reaching for her toes. She let her spine relax and breathed in and out again to let all the tension out of her body.

She started out again but this time her muscles were warm and pliable and her steps felt light and easy.

... _It is very zen to forget the world and just concentrate on breathing_ … She thought then shook her head because... _thinking that isn’t pushing thought from my mind. wow. this is hard_ …

Katya had her mother’s long chestnut hair. It swung back and forth in its ponytail swishing across her shoulders with each step as she ran. She soon gave up on pushing all thought from her mind, letting it drift lazily through memories in the garden with her mother instead.

... _Mother felt most at home in the garden behind the house._.. Some of Katya’s earliest memories are out there among the veggies and flowers. She had shared Anya’s love for growing things and sun-warmed soil when she was very young. The yard really had thrived under their gentle care and ruthless weeding.

... _“These plants can teach us things, Katya. All we have to do is know how to ask.”_... Anya’s words echoed in her mind.

... _I did know how to ask_...

\---

One evening, when Katya was five, she woke up in the middle of the night. Nothing had scared her, no noise to jolt her awake. She just was.

She felt a pull to get out of bed and go to the window. The garden below was layered in shadows beneath a crescent moon aided by a brilliant star-lit sky. They blazed in the billions, blinking at her from their far away homes above.

She suddenly found herself desiring something that had never crossed her mind before this moment.

... _Please…could the universe spare some of it’s light? I would like a little brother_ …

She closed her eyes, clasping her hands on the window sill.

The wind picked up outside the window whooshing through the trees making the tops sway.

Little Katya felt a warm hand on her back.

“Sweetie, what are you doing awake?” Anya’s soothing voice enveloped her like a warm towel right out of the dryer just as her mothers arms wrapped around her little frame.

“The stars, Mom! They were calling me.” She whispered as she gazed up at them.

\---

Katya remembers feeling safe and loved with her mother’s chin resting gently on her shoulder, hair brushing her neck. She always thought of her mother this way, the way she was before she got sick. She remembers wanting to tell her mother about her wish but the first rule about wishing... _if Disney taught me anything_... was that it wouldn’t come true if you told someone about it.

… _but somehow mother had known_...

Her parents sat her down to ask her if she would like a little brother or sister a few weeks later.

… _Their faces when I replied “Of course! When does he get here?” were priceless!._.. Dad had, of course, set up the video recorder to catch her reaction not knowing it was his and Anya’s that would make it hilarious. That video has always been a Stilinski family favorite.

-

Katya’s chest ached. She stopped running and stepped to the side of the path to pull out her inhaler. Her stamina had gotten better in the last 6 years “training” with Laura and Derek but her asthma always slowed her down. The ache was deeper than her lungs, though. The wound of her mother’s passing had years to heal but today it was fresh again.

... _Mother liked Laura. I wonder if she would have liked her as another daughter? What would she have thought of Laura being a werewolf?_...

All these thoughts have made their rounds in her head more than once in all these years.

... _Mother always said “You love who you love” often, usually followed by something silly. “I love this sandwich!”_... Anya’s laughter rang out in her mind. It was a sound that held a special place in Katya’s heart, right next to Lauras. Katya almost let a laugh escape her own lips.

... _Maybe it would have been ok...it had been ok_ …

Growing up with the Sheriff had been an experience. Her father had a light hearted humor, a foolproof bullshit detector and his sarcasm, legendary. The thing that floored her the most was ... _how he knew Laura and I meant something to each other, something more than friends_ …

“He knew BEFORE I DID!” She exclaimed aloud startling a nearby elderly couple walking arm and arm. She sheepishly waved it off gesturing to her phone and earphones and jogged away.

... _He really should have been a federal detective_... but Beacon Hills was their home. Katya knew he had made the right choice.

 Katya’s longing for any of her family was strong as she walked off the breathlessness and embarrassment at scaring a little ol' married couple.

... _He does plenty of his own detective work as Sheriff, not that it helps his heart any_... Katya fondly remembered watching CSI almost religiously with her father, on his nights off (before Anya died). They would try to solve the case before the characters did and laugh pointing out the errors on the show.

... _CSI...Fuuuuuuuck_ …

Her eyes went wide with panic and she stumbled to a stop as she pulled out her phone. The call she missed from Derek flashed up at her from the screen. Conveniently, that was the person she wanted to dial so she pressed ‘talk’ and fidgeted as it rang.

“Derek. I have to call my Dad.” She paced back and forth behind a nearby park bench. “We messed up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, Stud Muffins.
> 
> Aaaand the cliffhanger.   
> ^_^  
> I'm not sorry about the cliffhanger.
> 
> I just *heart* Mama Stilinski so much! I just can't get enough of her! 
> 
> Have a good week everyone!


	9. (Chapter 8 1/2) Oh Brother I Will Hear Your Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Katya was getting herself to go running, Derek motivates himself to finish what he started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title and Lyrics in this chapter are from Avicii's Hey Brother.

A heavily contented sigh escaped Derek’s throat as he devoured the lemon bar in his hand, fingertips lingering on his lips, brushing lightly against slightly sticky skin. In this moment, the only thing that existed in this world was the cool zing of citrus on his tongue. Eyelids shielding him from reality, he tilted his head back against the headrest in the Camaro.

It had been Laura’s Camaro and even though she shared it with Katya and himself, it mostly smelled of his sister. With his eyes closed, he could almost imagine her sitting there next to him but it was next to impossible to imagine her heartbeat into existence.

Every new moment prompted new confirmations of Laura’s absence. Each one zapped through his chest as if someone with unsteady hands were utterly failing to remove his broken heart, touching the edges of his emotions and causing his nose to redden. 

A relentless hunger to feel something other than emptiness and loss caused his hand to reach out for the paper bag from the Bakery Cafe once again. He groaned a little to find it utterly empty except for a few crumbs and smears of lemon. He hated himself a little for eating every last one of them while parked in the forest within view of his childhood home, but only because there weren’t any of the delicious treats left.

Derek had left the Beacon Hills Animal Clinic, feeling lighter now that he knew he had some help but the heaviness of his situation still weighed on him. Facing an enemy who killed his sister, a sister he needed to bury, and needing to protect anyone who could be connected to either himself or Laura was an enormously daunting task.

... _I did the right thing telling Katya to stay away, didn’t I Laura?_...

Derek would be lying if he said he could do this on his own. Beyond needing help, he craved the feeling of pack and it took all his resolve to tell the only other person close to him to stay away. Omegas, more often than not, lose their minds. They are weaker without the power of the pack to sustain them. Their minds don’t handle the solitude well...as evidenced by his gratuitous lemon fix. 

He licked the rest of the lemon off his fingertips before reaching over to the passenger seat for the napkin in the bag. Crumbs were scattered down the front of his leather jacket as well as the seat and floor. He vowed to go wash and vacuum the car... _Laura’s car_ … as he brushed away the evidence of his indulgence. Laura loved the Camaro. It wouldn’t do to disrespect her memory by letting it get dirty. 

He pulled his phone out of his pocket, using speed dial to call up Katya while checking his face in the mirror for bits of lemon bar. It rang twice before Avicii’s Hey Brother calls out from under the passenger seat. 

Derek froze. His eyes grew wider in disbelief with each line of the song. 

“Oh brother I will hear you call.  
What if I lose it all?”

Laura’s laughing face beamed out from the screen of the phone in his hand instead of Katya’s thumbs-up. The breath caught in his throat as he attempted to swallow around the sudden tightness in his chest. 

“Oh sister I will help you out!  
Oh if the sky comes falling down, for you, there’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do.”

He scrambled to pull her phone out from under the passenger seat, the screen lit up with his own face. Her phone stopped ringing but another pang ran through him as her voice sounded from the earpiece of his own phone. 

“Hi there! You of all people should know who you dialed. Leave me a message unless it is really important, then txt me the pertinent info asap. Actually, you should just hang up, I am probably trying to call you back right now. Tootles!”

He sat stunned to silence until he realized his phone was still leaving a message. He hastily cancelled the call, collapsing into his seat once again. 

... _You did lose your phone. God, Laura. I don’t know how to handle all this.You knew there was nothing in this world I wouldn’t do to save you. Why did you have to come out here alone?_...

Laura’s phone blipped cheerfully noting the new voicemail. A lengthy list of missed calls and txts lit up the screen briefly. 

... _surprised it isn’t out of battery_ …

It nearly was, though, so he switched it off and slipped her phone into his leather jacket as he gazed out into the middle distance. 

... _I’ll plug it in later_ …

Derek ran his hands over his face in an attempt to clear his mind, rubbing at the back of his neck before settling his fingers around his phone again. He fumbled the unlock sequence twice, before his hand - shaky with grief - found Katya’s speed dial.

Katya didn’t answer. He hung up as it went to voicemail trying with all his might not to assume the worse. 

... _Katya is fine. She will see my missed call and call me back. There is no use in worrying until I have something to worry about. She’ll call me back_... He sighed and reached for the door handle. ... _Can’t spend my entire life sitting here waiting for someone else to take care of things...or me_...

The forest assailed his senses the moment he stepped out of the car. Scents of various wild animals and mouldering fall plants overtook the lemon and Laura. He couldn’t keep his nose from wrinkling as light overtones of ash and rotting house floated toward him on the breeze. Fine hairs on the back of his neck stood to attention as his inner wolf recoiled catching a whiff of the trespassing officials who were all over his land the previous evening. Though he grew up here, he was having a hard time adjusting from the constant white noise of the bustling city to the quiet press of the forest; an adjustment made all the more difficult by the coming full moon. Its increasing pull urging him to run and follow the trails and chase the wildlife he found there. Closing his eyes, he took a moment to regain his control.

… _I can do this. Everything is going to be ok_ … Ignoring the skip in his heart beat, Derek pressed the button on the Camaro’s remote, opening the trunk with a dull thunk. The plastic sacks from the local mega-mart rustled, contents shifting as he lifted them. Shouldering the new shovel, he closed the trunk and carried everything into the old house as tiny creatures caused a ruckus in the trees around him, skittering and chirping, hidden in the golden foliage. 

Carefully closing the door behind him, he quickly checked to make sure he was alone and relaxed a bit when he found that he was.

... _smells like they kept the manhunt out of the house. Though, I don’t know what that says about their dedication to finding the killer_... 

Supplies nestled in one arm, he creeked down the basement steps. Nothing had been touched since he had been there the day before so he took it as a good sign his burial goods wouldn’t be disturbed. He deposited the bags and shovel behind the secret door, turning his back on it as it slid back into place. 

Much of the house was a mess of charred items crumbling to ash and bits of the outdoors creeping in through the holes in the walls and roof. Here and there were bits of salvageable items from his past, things that had weathered the winter wet and the summer heat and the occasional little creature. One wall of the basement housed a shelf of boxes and tools that were largely untouched by the fire. Derek picked his way over to it stepping over the detritus. 

A mouse scrabbled out of a box on the bottom shelf, skittering away to a far corner as he approached. He would have let out a low growl but he realized this was the mouse’s home now, not his… even though the mouse was inhabiting a box clearly marked “Derek”.

He gave that box up for lost and lifted the lid off one of the others. He gasped. Seeing it’s contents was akin to finding the lost city of El’Dorado in his eyes. Untouched by the elements or living creatures and miraculously free of fire damage lay his entire collection of Wolverine and X-Men comics, each one nestled in a little bag with a bit of cardboard. 

... _how?_... 

He looked around at all the damage. 

Left untouched by the ravages of time and nature when all around it was destroyed, Derek felt a kinship with these things above a reunion with his comics. Somehow the summary of his childhood had survived the fire. It had endured intact, but alone, just as he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back, Stud Muffins!  
> This chapter has been a doozie. Had to rewrite it a few times as well as the next bit that is coming.  
> A big thankyou to sarcasticchick for beta-ing, twice! and being around when I was doing rewrites.  
>  ***hug***  
> ...because on Tuesdays we hug.
> 
> Almost forgot! Check me out on [Tumblr!](http://ashbyson.tumblr.com/)  
> I post updates on my writing and things that give me ideas (mostly gif sets).


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